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Issue link: http://airportbusiness.epubxp.com/i/140389
FBOSPOTLIGHT RECTRIX CEO RICH CAWLEY'S WORDS OF WISDOM ON CUSTOMER RETENTION "The only way to retain customers is through good fuel pricing and a high level of customer service. You don't know what happened prior to their arrival at your FBO. It is always important to respect the person coming off the plane and make their experience memorable." ON BUILDING FBOS FROM THE GROUND UP "There can be tremendous challenges when you encounter conservation lands or wetlands. There is a process to follow and you have to respect that process. It's a challenge and it's not for the faint of heart." ON FBO/AIRPORT/COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS "You have to remember you are a tenant. We don't own the airport. We don't own the community. We accept that we are a tenant and that we are renting land we don't own. We liken it to being a guest at someone else's airport. And you have to respect the community's concerns. Attend community meetings and answer their questions openly and honestly." (Bedford) facility, cherry walls, baker chairs, snooze rooms and more. It's like a Four Seasons Hotel for aviators." The company trains employees to offer a high level of service to each and every "It's a return to the glory days of aviation where everyone dressed up in a suit and a tie or a dress." RICH CAWLEY, PRESIDENT/CEO, RECTRIX COMMERCIAL AVIATION SERVICES customer. They capture employee attention upon hiring with above-grade-level starting wages and excellent health and dental benefits. Then once in the fold, the firm trains employees about what a gold level of customer service 16 airportbusiness means to Rectrix. "We teach them to treat our customers how we would like to be treated," Cawley adds. "People who use the same FBOs over and over again, use them because of their high level of customer service. We instill in every employee that the customer is No. 1. They may be coming in from Europe to negotiate a multi-billion business deal, but when they get here all they really want is to be treated like a gentleman or a lady. And our employees know if they work hard for us, we'll work hard for them." THE HANGARMINIUM DIFFERENCE Back in 2006, Rectrix introduced a radically different concept that Cawley recalls sparked laughter among many in the aviation industry. But Rectrix had the last laugh when they invited professionals to take a look at their Hangarminium concept and sold out on the first day. What's a Hangarminium? It is a concept that offers the benefits of private hangar ownership without the hassles of needing additional staff or equipment. These units come in sizes up to 20,000 square feet and in a range of prices from $800,000 to $1.8 million. Each unit is built to an individual June/July 2013 buyer's exacting specifications, and can have features such as 28-foot-high rolling doors, private ramps, and more. In addition, buyers can select from a range of services and amenities offered by the FBO, and receive special fuel pricing. Currently the firm only offers Hangarminiums at its Sarasota facility, though Cawley says they hope to introduce the concept in other locations as well as add to the eight units they currently have in Sarasota. When explaining the concept's popularity, Cawley says simply: "People invest a lot of money into an asset like an aircraft, and they want to keep that asset in a well-maintained, clean facility. When you keep an aircraft in a public hangar, many times it gets dinged or scratched. With a Hangarminium, there is no one there to harm the aircraft, no one to get in the way, and owners can come and go as they please." MIX IT UP The Rectrix difference continues with its mix of services. While some FBOs are content to focus solely on the FBO side of the business, this FBO has found it makes sense to jump into the maintenance and charter side of things too. With the acquisition of New World Jet Corporation in 2009, Rectrix Aviation expanded its private jet charter service to more than 5,000 airports worldwide. The company currently has three planes in its charter fleet: a 2007 Bombardier Challenger 300, a 2010 Lear 45XR, and a 2007 Pilatus PC-12. Rectrix hopes to eventually expand its charter locations in Europe and the United States. And again, its success, says Cawley, is directly tied to going above and beyond in terms of professionalism,cleanliness and customer service. "There are planes in the charter industry that I would not be willing to fly on," he says. "We found a niche here by coming in with a world-class attitude. Our aircraft are meticulously cleaned and extremely well maintained." Their achievements have captured the attention of others. The firm centered its charter service startup in the Boston area, and initially advertised in the Boston Business Journal. "We pulled the ads after a few weeks because we didn't need them," Cawley says. And Argus International, a firm that vets the safety of charter operations, has given Rectrix